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Sunday, September 13, 2015

GIADA LAS VEGAS

GIADA
THE CROMWELL
3595 S. LAS VEGAS BLVD
LAS VEGAS, NV  89109
702-777-3777

I like Giada De Laurentitiis and enjoy watching her cooking shows.  Her bright smile, rocking bod and vibrant personality go very well with learning how to cook Italian food.  While in Las Vegas we just had to make it over to The Cromwell Hotel and Casino to try her first ever restaurant.  From the time you enter The Cromwell and make your way through the casino you see all things Giada.  Photos of her are everywhere and when you arrive at the hostess desk you are immersed in more Giada.  Giada books, clothing and cookware all available for sale for the hardcore Giada fans.  We had a reservation made on Open Table and were quickly seated by a very pretty young lady in a bright white lace dress.  As you enter the dining room at Giada you walk past the open kitchen, pizza oven and Antipasta bar.  The space is beautiful and gushes Giada with her image and name everywhere.  This is a large open restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.  The outdoor seating overlooks the Fountains of Bellagio and Caesars Palace.  On a 100 degree day we opted to sit inside.  
Service here was quite good with many employees visiting our table to make sure we were enjoying the food and service.  Service yes....Food no.  We had so wanted to love Giada but the food let us down on so many levels.  Nothing was good here.  Nothing made us want to come back again.  So sad for this fan of Giada.  We started with a Antipasti Sampler recommended by our Waiter or Waitress.  I say this because I think we started with a Waiter and mid service he was replaced by a Waitress.  Both were good though.  The Antipasti included Marinated Olives, Wood Roasted Mushrooms, Cipollini Onions, Caponata and Peperonata.  I liked the Onions but even the Mushrooms did not have an appetizing flavor.  The Sweet Pea Tortellini ($18) was a tiny dish of something that had the consistency of glue.  Even this small dish was not finished by three people at the table.  Just could not take another bite after tasting it.  The Peas however were good.  The Carbonara Pizza ($17) was just ok.  The egg yolk added some flavor but the pizza was pretty bland.  The Venetian Panino ($18) with Turkey and Gruyere was oh so bland and tasteless.  This was an $18 sandwich served with Fried Zucchini and it sucked.  Our waitress raved about the Lemon Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($16).  She said it was her favorite sandwich on earth and the best Grilled Cheese that we would ever taste.  Wrong.....took one and a half bites and left the rest on the plate.  We left over 50% of our food on the plates and were so disappointed here.  Nothing and I mean nothing tasted good.  One of the most disappointing meals of my life.  Sorry Giada.  I still think you are hot and know you can cook but there is something off here.
Click link below to view more posts on Giada Las Vegas.  It got much better!

GIADA
GIADA IS LOCATED IN THE CROMWELL IN LAS VEGAS
GIADA'S NAME ALL OVER THE OUTSIDE OF THE CROMWELL
GIADA'S NAME ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF THE CROMWEL
GIADA PHOTOS ARE EVERYWHERE AT THE CROMWELL
RECEPTION DESK AT GIADA
GIADA NAMED THE BEST OF LAS VEGAS
GIADA CHEF GEAR
GIADA IS A BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT
WOOD BURING PIZZA OVEN
FRESH PASTA
ANTIPASTI BAR
MEATS SLICED AND SALADS PREPPED
LOUNGE AREA AT GIADA
ENTRANCE TO MAIN DINING ROOM
MAIN DINING ROOM DURING LUNCH SERVICE
GIADA ON THE WALLS
GIADA AND FAMILY
GREAT CUSTOM LIGHTING
GIADA MENU




GIADA PLATE
ANTIPASTI SAMPLER
NOTHING HERE THAT WE WOULD WANT TO EAT AGAIN
SWEET PEA TORTELLINI - THE SAUCE HERE WAS LIKE GLUE
CARBONARA PIZZA
THE EGG MADE THE PIZZA HERE
VENETIAN PANINO
SMALL BIT OF TURKEY WITH GRUYERE FOR $18
LEMON PESTO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
TARIMISU

GONZALEZ Y GONZALEZ

GONZALEZ Y GONZALEZ
NEW YORK-NEW YORK HOTEL & CASINO
3790 S. LAS VEGAS BLVD
LAS VEGAS, NV  89109
702-740-6455

We were cruising through the New York-New York Hotel on our way to their Roller Coaster ride and saw Mexican food at Gonzalez Y Gonzalez.  Had to stop in for lunch before riding the Coaster.  We ordered Chips and Salsa ($2.95) as soon as we sat down.  That was followed by an order of Blue Corn Chicken Taquitos ($8.95).  Salsa was good with a hint of heat.  The Blue Corn Taquitos lacked flavor and need a lot of salsa to make them eatable.  I went with a Combination of Chicken Enchilada and Shredded Beef Taco ($14.95) with Beans and Rice.  The Enchilada was a bit dry and the Taco was pretty basic.  The Three Enchilada Combination ($17.95) did not receive any raves from my Wife and Daughter.  They picked at it and ate the Beans and Rice.  Not the best Mexican food but not the worst either.  Probably would not return here though.

GONZALEZ Y GONZALEZ

GONZALEZ Y GONZALEZ INSIDE NEW YORK-NEW YORK HOTEL & CASINO
INDOOR AND TERRACE SEATING WITH PEOPLE WATCHING VIEW
GONZALEZ Y GONZALEZ MENU
APPETIZERS, SOUPS, SALADS AND TABLESIDE GUACAMOLE
HOUSE SPECIALTIES, COMBINATIONS AND SIZZILING FAJITAS
MEXICAN FAVORITES AND SIDES 
VEGETARIAN, TACOS AND DESSERTS
A LITTLE HOT SAUCE ON THE TABLE
WE LIKED THE FRESH CHIPS AND SALSA BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR THEM
BLUE CORN CHICKEN TAQUITOS
THREE ENCHILADAS WITH BEANS AND RICE
CHICKEN ENCHILADA, SHREDDED BEEF TACO WITH BEANS AND RICE

Thursday, September 10, 2015

CHICKEN WITH SWISS CHEESE AND MUSHROOMS

CHICKEN WITH SWISS CHEESE AND MUSHROOMS
DINNER AT HOME

I have been craving Swiss Cheese lately and wanted to incorporate it into a dish with Chicken Breasts.  I scanned the internet and read a few recipes.  None of them really hit me and I did not have all of the ingredients for some of the recipes.  Had to improvise so I just used what we had at home and came up with this delicious meal.  I actually used some leftover spaghetti so this dish was very inexpensive.  This was good.  Really good.  Delicious!  The entire family ate this up and loved it.  I will make it again and again the same exact way.

SEASONED THE CHICKEN WITH SALT AND PEPPER ON BOTH SIDES -
BROWNED THE CHIKEN BREASTS IN BUTTER AND OIL AND THEN ADDED TWO SMALL CANS OF MUSHROOMS AND TWO CHOPPED SHALLOTS 
POURED IN 1/2 CUP OF WHITE WINE 
COVERED AND SIMMERED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES UNTIL CHICKEN WAS COOKED THROUGH
REMOVED CHICKEN AND COVERED IN FOIL TO RETAIN HEAT.  BROUGHT LIQUID TO A BOIL
AND REDUCED BY ABOUT HALF
ADDED 1/2 CUP OF WHIPPING CREAM
PLACED THE CHICKEN BREASTS BACK IN PAN
TOPPED WITH A SLICE OF SWISS CHEESE
COVERED UNTIL CHEESE MELTED
REMOVED COVER AND TASTED SAUCE.  ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE 
ADDED CHOPPED TOMATOES BECAUSE I HAD ONE THAT NEEDED TO BE USED
CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND SWISS CHEESE SERVED WITH PASTA - YUMMY!!!!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

BILLS SYDNEY WAIKIKI REVISTED

BILLS SYDNEY WAIKIKI
280 BEACHWALK AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI  96815
808-922-1500
HOURS:   Monday thru Thursday/Sunday 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
                  Friday and Saturday 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM

My second visit to Bills Sydney was like the first.  Lousy.  I just don't understand the preparations or flavors here and there is nothing that would make me go back again.  Plus the place is expensive and when I pay a high price for a meal I want to leave satisfied.  I left Bills Sydney craving something good to eat.  We started with the Korean Fried Chicken Wraps ($12).  The chicken was dry and tasteless.  The lettuce was great but even the Chilli Sauce could not make this dish taste good.  Bland...bland...bland.   The Snapper Ceviche with Fennel, Avocado and Oranges ($14) was actually pretty good.  Light and refreshing but the Snapper was placed on the dish in large pieces so you got a big bite of Snapper.  Would be nice to have more smaller pieces so you can enjoy a bite of Snapper with the other ingredients.  The Avocado was also cut in pieces that were too large.  To make this salad more appetizing I would recommend cutting up the Snapper and Avocado in smaller pieces and mixing it all up.  The Pappardelle with Veal and Pork Ragu ($18) was a bomb.  My Daughter who loves Pappardelle and can eat an entire package of it took about two bites and said she did not like it. Me and my Wife tried the Ragu first and it was salty as hell.  That is all you could taste.  The Pappardelle and Sauce were bland and tasteless.  The waitress asked if we would like the entire plate of food boxed and we all said "no".  The Avocado and Tuna Poke ($18) also disappointed.  The combination of Tuna Poke and Brown Rice did not work for us.  The sauce tasted like only Sesame Oil and that is it.  I love Tuna Poke and could not eat more than a bite.  The Heirloom Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Pizza ($15) was thin and crisp the way I like pizza.  The Tomato and Basil were fresh and delicious.  Then there are these lumps of cold Mozzarella placed on top so you get one bite of cheese with each slice.  I don't like this and would prefer a bit of cheese with every bite.  The pizza sauce is pretty bland so we added the Chili Sauce for some flavor and heat.   Cannot understand how this restaurant and their recipes stays in business.  Love the location and design of Bills Sydney and the service is good.  Employees do a great job making you feel welcome.  Only wish I could connect with the food.  Click link below for previous post on Bills Sydney;

BILLS SYDNEY

BILLS SYDNEY IS A GREAT SPACE IN WAIKIKI
SMALL PLATES WITH BIG PRICES
SALADS AND FLATBREAD PIZZA
BILLS CLASSICS
BILLS SWEETS
TASTELESS KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN WRAPS
SNAPPER CEVICHE WITH FENNEL, AVOCADO AND ORANGES
VEAL AND PORK RAGU PAPPARDELLE
AVOCADO AND TUNA POKE WITH BROWN RICE
HEIRLOOM TOMATO, BASIL AND MOZZARELLA FLATBREAD PIZZA
PIZZA IS THIN AND CRISP BUT YOU GET ONE BIG BITE OF CHEESE ON EACH SLICE
ADD SOME OF THE HOT CHILI SAUCE TO THE PIZZA FOR FLAVOR AND HEAT

MAHI MAHI WITH MEXICAN TOMATOES AND AVOCADO SALSA

MAHI MAHI WITH MEXICAN TOMATOES AND AVOCADO SALSA
DINNER AT HOME


Wow...this little home cooked meal was a huge hit with me and the family.  Started as simply grilled Mahi Mahi but I wanted to kick the flavor up a notch.  We eat a lot of fresh fish and I am always searching for new variations and sauces.  I started with a can of Mexican Stewed Tomatoes because I love them and wanted to incorporate a can into the dish.  Simply heated the Tomatoes in a pan and then added some grilled local corn that we had in the refrigerator.  Once the mixture heated I added a bit of cream and mixed throughly.  This became a base for the Mahi Mahi.  Made a quick Avocado Salsa to top the fish and it was delicious.

MAHI MAHI WITH MEXICAN TOMATOES AND AVOCADO SALSA

MADE A QUICK SALSA USING RED ONION, TOMATO, CILANTRO, JALAPENO, AVOCADO, SALT, PEPPER, LIME JUICE AND A SPLASH OF BALSAMIC VINEGAR
ADDED GRILLED LOCAL SWEET CORN TO MEXICAN STEWED TOMATOES AND HEATED THROUGH BEFORE MIXING IN SOME CREAM
GRILLED THE MAHI MAHI
PUT DOWN A BED OF THE TOMATO AND CORN RELISH
THIS DISH WAS THE BOMB - RESTAURANT QUALITY FOR A FEW BUCKS.   DELICIOUS!!!